Ammonium formate → ethyl 1H-imidazole-2-carboxylate

Participants

Reaction Steps

34.7 g (150.9 mmol) of ethyl 1-benzyl-1H-imidazole-2-carboxylate are dissolved in 1005 ml of ethanol, and 34 g of ammonium formate are added. The reaction mixture is heated to reflux for about 6 h. Then a total of 8 g of 10% palladium on activated carbon and 18 g of ammonium formate is added in small portions. After cooling, the catalyst is filtered off and the filtrate is concentrated in vacuo. The product which crystallizes out is stirred in 80 ml of ice-water and filtered off with suction.

Provenance & Evidence